Healing Trace (20 page)

"Mm…I
like that." She opened her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's
early. The sun is only now starting to rise." He rolled over her, and
situated himself between her knees, bracing himself on his arms. "Have I
told you how beautiful you are with your hair all spread out on the pillow, and
your eyes heavy with sleep?"

"Yes,
but I'll never get tired of hearing you tell me." She wound her arms
around his neck.

He
kissed her hair, her forehead, her cheek, and then her lips. She kissed him
with all the love she had for him. The kiss deepened and brought them closer.

She
stared into his eyes. For several seconds she got lost in the depth of emotions
she was seeing. She took a much-needed breath. "Make love to me."

He
took her hand and pushed it lower, between their bodies, so that her fingers
could encircle his hardness. She gasped as she felt his heat.

They
made love unrushed. Joan ran her hands down Trace's chest, marveling at the way
his body shifted with each move. She trailed her fingers along his collarbone,
feeling his pulse beat and loving the way he came alive when they were
together. His strength and control awed her.

She
moved against him, letting the heat and rush build inside of her until she
couldn't stand it any longer. Her body convulsed around him, loving him, and in
the back of her mind, she heard him call her name.

Together,
they lay entwined, unmoving. She kissed his neck and clung to him, afraid of
what this week would bring, and if she'd be strong enough to walk away from the
man that gave her everything. Over the last six weeks, she'd learned to love each
one of the men on the Lakota Ranch for their uniqueness and friendship.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sequestered
in the office with Devon and Brody, Joan stared at them in wonder. Tears
streamed down her cheeks, and she had to swipe them away in an effort to understand
what they were telling her. What they were proposing was a dream come true, and
an answer for Savannah and many other children on the reservation.

"Although
the clinic will run on volunteer services of others, your position is salaried.
We'd also like to offer you an advance on your first paycheck, so you can bring
your sister home. It'll be a month until the modular is set up and you can work
from the reservation but in the meantime, you'll work offsite. We'll try to
help you along the way. There's too much work for one person to begin the
process of hiring people, filling out paperwork, and a whole string of hoops
we'll have to jump through before we can open for business, we won't stick you
with doing everything alone," Devon said.

She
accepted the tissue Brody passed her. "I can't believe how unselfish you
all are, and how many people you will help."

"Regardless
about how we feel about how we were raised, we support our people and their way
of life. I know it seems like we don't, after leaving the reservation, but we
do more than anyone can understand…except for the three of us. Keeping the
Lakota progressing as the world changes around us is imperative." Brody
laced his fingers together behind his head. "Most of all, we don't want a
child to ever feel they have no options the way Trace did growing up."

"Oh
God, Trace." She put her hand over her heart. "Does he know what
you're doing?"

Devon
glanced at Brody before looking at her and smiling. "Yes. We've all talked
it over and have agreed on how we'll approach the council and receive their
full consent."

She
nodded. "This is beyond wonderful."

"So,
will you take the job?" Brody asked.

"Of
course, I'll take the job." She jumped up and hugged him. "Thank
you."

Working
her way around the room, she hugged and kissed Devon and Brody. Never in her
life, had she met such caring men. Her dad had been her hero, and she never
thought anyone would compare to the love her father gave to others through
being a sheriff of a small town, but these men ranked right up there with their
love and support for their people.

"Thank
you, so much. I can't wait to call my sister." She squealed. "Katie's
going to be beyond ecstatic. I also can't wait for her to meet each one of you
on the ranch. She'll love you too."

"How
old is she again?" Devon wiggled his brows.

"Seventeen,
and much too young for you." Joan laughed. "You'd have to wait many
years for her to grow up and finish school. And, thanks to you guys for
thinking of me for this job, Katie can go to college and that's one more thing
off my worry list."

They
left her to make the phone call to Katie and Aunt Sharon on her own. She cried
as she explained the good news, and Katie could come home. By the end of the
conversation, she and Katie had formulated the plan to have her ride the train
into Durham on Monday. Aunt Sharon breathed a breath of relief, and confessed
she had doubts if Joan would be able to live up to her promise. Ending the
call, she felt better than ever.
I did It, Dad. Katie and I are back
together.

There
was one more, very important, person to thank and he was doing chores in the
stables.

***

Trace
stood in the round pen near the rails, forcing Thunderbolt to run around him.
Every hoof stomping loop the horse made gave Trace more confident that
Thunderbolt understood what he was asking. Trace was prepared to go the long
haul, and it was time Thunderbolt learned that he wouldn't back down and give
up on him.

The
knowledge that he was risking injury to his leg or another part of his body
didn't concern him. If he asked Thunderbolt to trust him, the trust must be
returned in full.

He'd
made a mistake last time and became careless and impatient. He wouldn't do that
this time. He'd promised Joan.

He
believed the animal was making enough progress and needed the challenge. The
same kind of encounter Thunderbolt would find in the wild with a herd. But one
thing bothered him.

Something
bigger was messing with Thunderbolt than homesickness for his herd and boredom.
Whatever amount of time it took to figure out what Thunderbolt was telling him,
he'd wait.

Fifteen
minutes later, Thunderbolt tired out and turned away to stand at the opposite
side of the pen. Trace bowed his head and turned his back on the horse. He'd
won.

His
patience paid off, and his success meant the next step in Thunderbolt's
training could start. Not today, but tomorrow.

He
caught sight of Joan standing in the distance, her hand covered her mouth, and
her other arm curled around her waist. His heart raced. Even from this distance,
Trace could tell she'd been crying.

He
climbed the fence, and strode toward her. He'd left her smiling in the shower
this morning. He couldn't imagine what could have caused her sadness, except
something to do with her sister.

He
reached her and pulled her into his embrace. "What's happened?"

"Nothing.
Everything." She clung to him. "I thought you were waiting to work
with Thunderbolt? You said you wouldn't get on the back of him until your leg
was back to one-hundred percent. It's too soon."

"I'm
not riding him, not yet. Although, the longer I wait to work on the ground with
him, the more time it'll take to get him back into the shape I had him before
the accident. I'm fine, and Thunderbolt is doing surprisingly well for me
today." He pulled off his glove, and tilted her chin. "Is that why
you're crying? I'm fine. I'm only doing routine drills with Thunderbolt. I
didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm
glad. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." She sniffled.

He
peered down into her face. "See, I'm all right. There's no reason to cry.
I'm sorry for scaring you."

She
shook her head. "That's not the only thing that has me blubbering like an
idiot this morning. Devon explained everything to me. I'm so excited, and still
walking around pinching myself to make sure it's real. What you all are doing
for Savannah is amazing. The clinic will be a dream come true for so many of
the residents on the reservation."

"I
hope so. Not everyone will ask for help, but I'm glad there will be an option
for the children and mothers available on site if they need help. They deserve
to know someone cares, and there's somewhere safe they can go." He
smoothed her hair back from her face.

"It's
wonderful." She hugged him and laid her cheek on his chest. "I've
already called Katie and told her the good news. Right after I hung up, I
purchased her a train ticket. She'll be here Monday. I can't wait until you
meet her. She's going to like you. Unlike me, she loves horses and will
probably bug you every chance she can to let her ride."

"What?"
He rubbed her shoulders. "You're going too fast for me to understand. You
found a job?"

She
laughed. "Yes! Of course I did."

"That's
great." He picked her up and kissed her. "Where at?"

"At
the new non-profit clinic on the reservation. Don't act as if you don't know.
Devon and Brody told me you already knew they were going to ask me. I can't
believe you kept it a secret." She brushed at the front of his shirt.
"Devon and the others assured me I was up to the job. I wasn't sure at
first, because I've never worked at an administration level, but I want to do
this. I can't think of a better way to put my nursing degree to work. I'll be
able to help Savannah and all the children who need help. Devon said they'd
have a safe room where they can heal and receive assistance. There will be no
more sleeping in abandoned houses."

He
dropped his arms and turned around.
God dammit. I told them not to ask her.

Anger,
red-hot fury, boiled inside of him and he wanted to strike out at Devon for
going behind his back. His muscles constricted, and he balled his hands into
fist.
No way in hell will I allow her to risk her life working with abusers
and addicts.

Joan
grabbed his wrist. He twisted out of her grasp, flinging his arm. His chest
heaved and he had to force his voice past the pain pressing down on him.

"Trace,"
she whispered on an exhale.

"I
don't want you working in the clinic."

She
stepped forward. "Why not? Don't you see how wonderful this will be for
Savannah and the other children? It'll give me a full time job to support Katie
too. She can go to school and finish her senior year. It solves everything. I
won't have to worry about losing the apartment when money gets too tight, and
I'll be able to set aside extra cash so Katie can go to college like my dad
wanted her to do."

He
crossed his arms. "No. I don't want you working there."

"You're
serious." Her jaw dropped.

"Hell
yes, I am. It's not a place for someone like you." Trace reached out, but
she stepped away.

"You've
said that before…comparing me to everyone else like I should sit up on a
pedestal. I'm not special. I'm not afraid of helping others. That's why I'm a
nurse, Trace. I enjoy making others feel better. In no way does that make me
better than anyone else, and for you to insinuate I'm above you or your people
makes me sick."

He
laughed, but the sound came out harsh and cruel even to his own ears. "Is
that what I was to you? A poor Indian who needed healing? Well, you did your
job. You've performed a fucking miracle!"

"Trace—"

"I
think your job here is done. I've got a horse to train, and you can go work
your magic on the next dumb Indian who falls for your bull shit." He
walked off, leaving her in his past.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Joan
held the door to her apartment open and scooted out of the way for Brody to
enter. She kicked one of her bags of luggage out of the way. It was official.
She was done with her job at the Lakota ranch and tomorrow, Katie would be
coming home.

"Thanks
for bringing me home and contacting the electric company so I could have my
power turned back on. I don't know how you did everything in such a short time,
but I do appreciate what you've done for me today." She gazed around, not
connecting with her own home. "I know the apartment doesn't make a big
impression, but Katie and I don't need much. After my dad died, and with the
funeral bill and my student loans, I couldn't keep paying the rent on the house
my dad had us in outside of town…"

"Joan."
Brody laid his hands on her shoulders. "You don't have to explain.
Remember, I grew up on a reservation, and the guys and I lived in a shack when
we first bought the ranch. When it rained, it literally filled buckets around
the room. This place is luxurious compared to what we started out with, and you
shouldn't be embarrassed. The most important thing is you and your sister will
be back together the way you wanted. That's all that matters."

She
nodded. "Thank you…for everything. I still feel funny taking the job, now
that Trace hates me. Maybe you want to hire someone else?"

She
prayed he'd say no. Bringing Katie home depended on keeping this job. If she
had to make sure she was never around when Trace wanted to come to the
reservation, she'd do it.